CANADIANS COOL TO E-COMMERCE

While Web usage among Canadians continues to climb, our adoption of e-commerce remains stagnant. CyberTrends, ComQuest Research’s quarterly survey of Canadian behaviour and attitudes toward the Internet, reports half of all Canadian adults use the Web at least once a month – and the proportion of those who use the Web weekly has risen to 40%, up from 34% just a year ago. Only 14% of Internet users, however, feel "very comfortable" buying online, a number that has not changed since the last quarter. A full 61% of Canadian consumers say they’re not comfortable at all.

WE’RE SO VAIN

According to a recent survey by hair-growth formula maker Rogaine, men are increasingly concerned about their appearance and the impact it has on their romantic and social lives. Over four and a half million Canadian men suffer from hair loss, and describe their predicament as "depressing" or "stressful," according to the Rogaine Reality Report. The study says men are no longer willing to "suffer in silence" – 46% of those surveyed say they deal with the emotional impact of hair loss by talking to their partners. The Canadian celebrities whose hair is most admired by balding Canadian males are Quebec singer Roch Voisine and comic actor Jim Carrey.

HAPPY P-O-P DAY

When shoppers are in holiday planning mode, they’re more open to suggestion. That, loosely put, is one of the conclusions of a recent study by Point-of-Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), a New Jersey-based trade association representing in-store advertisers. The pilot study, which measured the effectiveness of POP advertising, found that in-store displays – including signage, floor graphics, coupons and so on – boosted sales in 13 of the 20 weeks measured. But the study found the lift to sales was substantially higher when the creative was tied to a specific holiday or event, particularly those all-American summer festivities – Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. The research study, which tracked 30 food and beverage categories, found that POP advertising made the most difference to new brands and those that were infrequently promoted.

THE GREYING WEB

You can teach an old dog new tricks, but first you’ve got to earn its trust. That’s the gist of a recent study by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) that set out to examine the confidence levels of "elderly" computer and Web users. The study, which surveyed 1,000 computer users aged 45 and up, concludes the group represents an important and growing online demographic, but says confidentiality of personal information is of "utmost concern" to aging Net surfers. Among the key findings: Respondents reported having used computers an average of 8.5 years and to have been online an average of 3.3 years; about 80% of those surveyed have Internet access and, of those, respondents spent an average of five hours a week using e-mail and nine hours a week surfing the Net. That said, the study also shows online confidence drops sharply with increasing age and suggests that marketers be sensitive to the range of skill levels that exist among computer users 45-plus.

The Garden promotes two creative directors

ACDs Lindsay Eady and Francheska Galloway-Davis have taken over responsibility for day-to-day creative leadership at The Garden after being promoted to creative director roles.

The pair will also help develop the agency’s creative talent, formalizing mentorship and leadership activities they have been doing since joining the agency four and three years ago, respectively. In addition to creating the agency’s internship program, the pair have worked on campaigns for Coinsquare, FitTrack and “The Coke Challenge” campaign for DanceSafe.

Eady and Galloway-Davis will continue to report to The Garden’s co-founder and chief creative officer Shane Ogilvie, who is stepping back from daily creative duties to a more high-level strategic role, allowing him to focus on client relationships and business growth.

Naked Creative Consultancy names new creative and strategy leadership

Toronto’s Naked Creative Consultancy has hired Yasmin Sahni as its new creative director. She is taking over creative leadership from David Kenyon, who has been in the role for 10 years and is moving into a new role as director of strategy, leading the discipline at the agency.

Sahni is coming off of three years as VP and ECD at GTB’s Toronto office, where she managed all the retail, social and service creative for Ford Canada. She previously managed both Vice Media and Vice’s in-house ad agency Virtue.

Peter Shier, president of Naked, says Sahni’s hiring adds to its creative bench and capabilities, as well as a track record of mentorship, a priority for the company. Meanwhile, Kenyon’s move to the strategy side, he says, makes sense because of his deep knowledge of its clients, which have included Ancestry and The Globe and Mail.

Digital Ethos opens a Toronto office

U.K. digital agency Digital Ethos is pursuing new growth opportunities in North America by opening a new office in Toronto.

Though it didn’t disclose them, the agency has begun serving a number of North American clients, and CEO/founder Luke Tobin says the “time was right to invest in a more formal and actual presence in the area.” whose services include design, SEO, pay-per-click, social media, influencer and PR,

This year, the agency’s growth has also allowed it to open an office in Hamburg, Germany, though it also has remote staff working in countries around the world.

Moray Hickes was the company’s first North American hire as VP of sales, tasked with business development in the region.